Heroes in Domino
by PolarBlaze93
Summary: Yugi had gone through his entire life as a nobody. When a new boy comes to school, his life changes and take a turn for the better, and the worst. Potential puzzleshipping later on, so don't like don't read.
1. Chapter 1 Home and School Blues

So, this is the first story I'm posting; however, it is not the first story I've written. I got this idea after reading several other fictions out there, and it just kind of popped into my head. Either way, enjoy and R&R.

I obviously don't own Yugioh or I wouldn't be writing this.

Chapter 1- Home and School Blues

Two young men waited in the ally behind Domino High like a pair of starving wolves. They lingered in the darkness patiently, certain their daily prey would arrive in a matter of seconds. Since they live in the same neighborhood, the effeminate and weary boy had no choice but to cross their path, and when he did they were both prepared.

Off in the distance, the smaller boy with dark, spiked hair spotted a diminutive male approaching as usual. Snickering, he whispered to his friend, "Hiro, it looks like our friend arrived early today. Isn't he in for a treat today?"

"You know it, Yuki. Rumor has it he's a queer. Good think I don't have gym with him," Hiro heckled, preparing his brass knuckles. His only two hobbies were working out, explaining his muscular, marine body, and picking on Yugi. Coming from a military family, he always wore his jet black hair in their style. In his eyes, the only real looked identical to him.

Yuki cracked his knuckles as Yugi approached. With each step he took, his eyes became two scarlet quarters. He noticed Yugi shaking slightly, and began clearing his throat to declare his and Hiro's presence. Yugi neared the ally and tried to walk right past the two bullies.

"Not so fast, dink." Hiro growled, grabbing Yugi by the collar and forcing his victim to face him. He shoved Yugi against the wall and raised his right arm menacingly. "Just where do you think you're going without us? We just want to have some fun with you."

Yugi's heart raced 100 miles an hour, his violet eyes cowering under the husky boy. Hiro chuckled in disdain as he delivered his first blow to Yugi's cheek. Making a sour face, he tried to suppress the copper-tasting liquid from creeping into his mouth. Before he could begin to cope with the pain, Yuki kicked him in the chest, causing him to double over with a yelp.

In the back of his mind, Yugi knew what was to happen next, for the routine was the same each day. After a strike to his ribs, they would throw him on the ground like an old rag doll and proceed to step on him until he no longer lay conscious. Sometimes the boys threw in a step or interchanged things, but for the most part the previous day was identical to the next.

After a series of vigorous blows, Yugi lay on the bleak ground making futile attempts to move or speak. Hiro spit in Yugi's eyes and laughed as Yuki stepped on his hand. Yugi could have had it different if he had only accepted their offer to join them in their mini gang, but he was too much of a goodie-goodie. Even as he lay with vermilion seeping out of his body, he could never bring himself to cause harm to another. A quality that made Hiro and Yuki wand to heave into the nearest corner.

"Take this as a little lesson, dink. Don't you ever try to evade us again!" He spat, giving Yugi a final kick for the day.

Yuki followed Hiro further into the ally. Before he disappearing, he turned and muttered, "You should've just joined us, kid. Then you could be the shark instead of the minnow."

---

Yugi regained consciousness after about thirty minutes when a light rain trickled across Domino. Not a soul remained in the ally or at school, so for once, and as always, he was alone. He didn't have a friend who he could consult with his concerns or fears. The last time he befriended someone, he move and Yugi never heard from him again.

Of course, he had a feeling the boy wasn't at fault for that. His father, whom he only saw early in the morning and late night, flatly despised him. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or maybe it was his multi-colored hair or slim figure. Whatever the reason, he never confronted Yugi unless he had the intentions of harming him in some way. Sometimes mentally, other times physically. If Jounouchi, his friend, had called or written, he was sure his father ignored him.

After giving himself a minute to snap out of his daze, Yugi staggered back to his house. His neighborhood was one of the few in the entire city with graphite on the signs and fences or wired fences instead of wooden. Yugi had the luck of being born into a family with alcoholics and high school drop-outs. Is father worked in construction, so he lived in the best house he could afford with his budget.

Yugi lived in a vomit-green house that one could easily mistake for an oversized box. He once had fantasies of repainting a more masculine color and fixing the lawn to make it a decent place, but his father never gave him permission. Anytime he asked, his father went into a snappy lecture on how girly yard work and painting were.

Entering through the screen door, Yugi seized the opportunity to grab some ice and a snack before his father returned home. He got a banana and disappeared into his room to complete his homework.

A few minutes after he pulled out his chemistry homework, Yugi heard a light thump coming from the living room. He jerked his head to the side, intently listening for his father. Koji seldom got off work at such an early hour, but occasionally his boss ran out things for them to do.

Yugi poked his head out of the door slightly to find Koji in the fridge, already attacking his beer. Quicker than lighting, Yugi scarffed down his banana and hoped his father wouldn't spot it hiding behind his bed. He resumed working on his homework his door flung open with Koji behind it, a bottle barely staying in his hand.

"Yug, what have you done with my babies?" He asked, referring to a bag of heroine he misplaced the previous night.

"Nothing, sir," Yugi replied as he scribbled his answers on a sheet of paper. If he got lucky, his father might accept his response and let him be.

"Tell me where it is," Koji hissed, picking up Yugi by the scruff of his shirt. "Give it to me, or I'll make damn sure you go without food for a week!"

"I just told you, I don't know. That stuff is terrible for you anyway, you should consider its disappearance a miracle," Yugi said coyly, figuring he couldn't escape his father's next move no matter what he said.

"Don't you try to tell me what's bad for me! I'm the adult, so I'll make those decisions!" He bellowed, throwing Yugi to the ground. With a grunt, he stormed out of the room to search the house for his drugs.

Yugi picked himself up and moved towards the window to look at the sky. Even though Domino was always too bright to unveil its exquisite stars, the sky and moon gave him a sense of peace and quiet when there was none. He stared blankly at the night sky like a man praying to a god for answers. He sat there for a second until a faint beam of light zipped across the sky, catching his attention at once. Despite his suspicion of the myth of placing wishes on shooting stars, he found them fascinating. All his life, he wanted to see just one.

He knew his ultimate wish would go on granted, so he considered the mere sight of the star enough of a prize. He wanted freedom and change in his life, but he understood his slim chances of obtaining those two riches. To him, the Earth had already granted his wish of a lifetime.


	2. Chapter 2 The New Kid

Heroes in Domino

*Keep in mind, in Japan a lot of schools have school on Saturday. I'm trying to keep this close to the culture.*

Chapter 2- The New Kid

Yugi woke up at the crack of dawn, ready to race the other teens in Domino to the nearest game shop. Lucky for him, his grandfather ran the Turtle, and gave him a heads up on the new card game Konami decided to release that Saturday morning. Apparently, T.V. and radio stations spent the past three months advertising and creating anticipation for a game called Duel Monsters.

For once, there was a trend Yugi could be a part of without getting on his father's nerves. As long as the cards stayed out of site while at home, he could finally have something to talk to other kids about. He made sure to get up early enough to beat the crowd and his dad.

He got his backpack and snuck through the hallway and into the kitchen. He thought of getting a piece of bread for breakfast, but decided against it when he saw his father sprawled out across the couch. Instead, he scurried out the door making minimal noise. When he escaped the house and neighborhood safely, Yugi had a ten minute walk to the Turtle.

A smile escaped his lips as he approached his prize. As expected, his Grandpa already stood at the counter with his open sign up. He briskly walked in, delighted to see the old man. Checking himself for any visible injuries, he slowly walked up to him.

"Good morning my grandson," His grandpa greeted, his cheeks turning a cherry color. He walked around the counter as quickly as his arthritis would allow and gave Yugi a hug. Though shorter, he managed to squeeze Yugi enough to make him flinch. Pulling away, he inquired, "You alright my boy?"

"Fine Grandpa. I've just been working out," Yugi lied, letting it eat him up a bit. "I see I got here early enough. No one's up yet!"

"A few more kids came in here a few minutes ago, but I'd say you're early enough. Not many people come in a 5:30 in the morning for trading cards, I can tell you that much," his Grandpa said as he chuckled. "Come behind the counter, I put together a deck especially for you."

Yugi went to his grandfather inquisitively and watched as he dug through one of the drawers. After about a minute, his jaw dropped as his grandfather pulled out a golden box with a peculiar eye carved in. Yugi took the box, bowed, and proceeded to take the top off. Inside, were his brand new a deck of cards.

"T-thank you Grandpa!" He hollered while relishing his new gift. Yugi set down the box and gave his grandfather a hug. "You're the best!"

"Anything for you my boy. Good kids deserve good things," he affirmed. "Now, have you had breakfast yet?"

"No, I was in too much of a hurry to get here," Yugi confessed dishonestly. He abhorred deceiving his grandfather, but what else could he say? If the poor old man knew the truth about his son, he'd have a heart attack. Just thinking of what his dad would do to him over that made him cringe.

"Then come along upstairs, have some rice or soybeans. You can't go to school hungry," he began to lecture. Yugi smiled a little at how much his grandpa cared. Sure, he went overboard with his stories and lectures at times, but he did so with Yugi's health and well-being at heart. His grandpa had no clue that he was the only one stopping the boy from surrendering on life altogether.

Yugi ate his rice as if he hadn't eaten in ages. His grandpa had to go run the shop as customers started showing up, but promised to be right up if needed. Yugi savored each bite and sip of orange juice as if it were the last meal he'd receive. No one made rice as well as his grandpa did, not even his grandma when she still lived. He kept the recipe a secret, vowing to let Yugi have it after his lifetime since his father hated rice.

After half an hour, Yugi rinsed his dishes and prepared to go to school. For some odd, unknown reason, the thought of school excited him. He couldn't wait to go show off his deck and at last make some friends. New trends open doors for one to reinvent himself, no matter what the reputation. At least, he felt this to be true.

With one last goodbye to his grandfather, Yugi raced out of the Turtle and into the mad walls of Domino High.

The first teacher to walk in taught Algebra. He looked around and saw every kid with the new Duel Monster cards, sighing at the difficulty of getting their attention. He gave them two minutes to talk before using his yardstick to hit the chalkboard over and over until the entire class went quiet.

"Listen! I know you are all excited by this new trend, but you must pay attention to what I have to teach you! I want every card out of sight within the next thirty seconds, or I will take them," he warned, earning a groan from every student as they obediently put them up. "Now, today we have a new student. His name is Yami, and he is transferring from Tokyo. If you would, Yami, sit next to the shorter boy who looks like you."

Yami nodded and took his seat, and Yugi's breath with his handsome body. Just like Yugi, he had spiked hair with identical colors, though his eyes were slightly darker. Yugi looked away as he blushed, hoping the other boy didn't notice. Luckily, Yami was already focused on the teacher and his problems.

The teacher lectured about inequalities and how to find them on a graph. The entire time, he fought his eyes temptation to stare at the gorgeous man in front of him. How could someone so amazing actually care for a freak like him? Better yet, how could someone so good looking not be a player? A cheater?

Shaking his head, Yugi redirected his attention towards the assignment he didn't understand. He never had a pleasant time in math, but had to live through it anyway. Yami scribbled away as if there were no tomorrow. Either he caught on quickly, or he already covered this much at his previous school.

"You're working fast," Yugi commented in a shy tone.

"I guess so, my parents always called me a quick study. I just do my best though," he replied modestly.

"Well you look alright to me. I never understood math no matter how 'easy' the other kids claimed it was," he admitted.

"Don't worry, I'm the same way with Japanese. You'd think spending ten years over here would make me a fluent speaker. While I speak okay, my writing is another story," Yami laughed. "I still get confused with all the different characters."

"Japanese is pretty hard. I don't even know all of it after living here my entire life. Where do you come from, anyway?"

"I use to live in Egypt. My real name is Atemu, but when I moved to Tokyo I started to go by Yami."

Their conversation got interrupted as the bell went off, telling the teachers to move to the next room. The algebra teacher gathered his things slowly and walked out right as the Japanese teacher walked in. She had short hair and a timid personality. The type of teacher no one ever listens to.

"Here's your favorite subject," Yugi teased, elbowing Yami playfully.

The two boys continued to talk and joke throughout the entire day. Within a few hours, the two became best friends. At lunch, Yami shared some of his food since Yugi didn't have any. They had permission to leave the classroom, so Yugi showed him around and led him to the courtyard for a picnic.

"Do you know about that new card game Konami released?" Yugi asked, laying his backpack across his lap.

"Duel Monsters? Hell yeah! It came out last week in Tokyo. Did you get the cards yet?"

Yugi took out the golden box his grandpa gave him earlier and showed off his new cards. "My grandpa owns the game shop around here, and made a special deck just for me!"

"This is a nice deck," Yami commented, flipping through the cards. "And that box just looks awesome!"

"Show me how to play?"

"Of course!"

Yami and Yugi spent the rest of lunch discussing the game and dueling each other. Yugi never came close to winning, but enjoyed Yami's company. With each conversation, he felt his crush on his look alike escalating. They eventually returned to class, making fun of some teachers and complementing others. The day went by too fast for both of them, and it was time for Yugi to dread the walk home.

Yugi walked with Yami down the steps of the school as slowly as possible. The older man followed him to the end of the campus, hoping to enjoy a stroll home with him. Gathering his courage, he asked, "Would you like to go home with me? It can't be fun to walk alone."

"Sorry Yami, but my dad wants me to be home quick. I promised I'd help him with the lawn," his heart wrenches as he told yet another lie. But Yami was new and had enough stress without getting involved in some random guy's troubles.

"You sure? It might be safer to walk together," Yami insisted, hoping to change his mind.

"I'd want to, but my neighborhood isn't exactly they best to walk alone in. I don't want you walking through it by yourself," Yugi said, this time telling half the truth.

With a sigh, Yami gave in. "If you say so. I'll see you Monday, then?"

"Yeah! Definitely Monday! Have a good day off!" Yugi exclaimed, forcing his eyes to light up. He knew how long 24 hours could be.

Yami walked away, looking back every couple of seconds to get one more look at the boy. Though a sweet and generous teen, he could tell by his smile and the way he barely kept eye-contact with people that he held some secrets. Nothing terrible or threatening, but secrets of a dark past. A past invented by countless people. He had to know more.

Yugi dashed through the neighborhood, hoping to dodge the bullies today. His spirits were too high to let some guys break him. He kept his head down, only thinking of going forward. With his luck, he crashed head-first into someone. Expecting it to be another bully, he kept his eyes on the ground, waiting for whatever might come.

When about two minutes passed, he dared to look up slowly. To his surprise, there was no bully visible. A man, probably in his 40s or 50s, stood in a cream colored robe and a solemn look on his face. His white eyes locked with Yugi's, as if reading the young boy's soul. Yugi didn't know whether to feel calm or frightened.

"Young one, this world has been waiting for you," he said in a monotone voice. "I can see your heart is pure, yet strong as a warrior's. Tonight, your life will change. Go home, pack your bags, and leave at 2 in the morning. Go to the park. Make sure your father's asleep, you know by now what may happen if he catches you."

"How do you know about my father? And why haven't you helped me if you knew? And why is the world waiting for me?" Yugi demanded, his body trembling.

"You will understand in time, but you should know that I've saved you life by hiding for all these years, but its not enough anymore. When you crossed paths with that new boy today, the fight became inevitable. Now tonight, you must show up with him. Bring your cards, you'll need them," he advised. Before Yugi could ask another question, the man faded into the night like ghost.

Taking a minute to gather his thoughts, Yugi made his journey back home. He didn't know where the man might take him, but it had to be better than living with an abusive druggie. Without a second thought, he decided to listen, especially since Yami would go with him. Nothing else mattered to him the fact that his life was changing. As anticipated, it was truly a new day.


	3. Chapter 3 The White and Black Magician

Heroes in Domino

Chapter 3- The White and Black Magician

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Enough said :p

Thank you to everyone who'se kept up with this story so far! Every good review and favorite I've gotten has been my inspiration to keep going! Without you all, this story would just be a bunch a words taking up space on my computer. :)

Creeping in through the back door, Yugi easily made it to the living room. He surveyed the area, guessing at how risky going to his room seemed. To his relief, he didn't see a single light on in the entire room. Letting a wide, toothy grin play upon his lips, the boy tiptoed through the room until he reached the back hallway.

Yugi considered himself home safe until a rough hand yanked his hair from behind, slamming him into a nearby wall. Panicking, Yugi let his eyes roam across the ground below. A lovely day had no right to end in horror, not for him, nor for anyone. He reminded himself of his long-awaited departure in a few hours, calming his nerves just in time for a strike to the face.

Wincing, he tried to grab the aching cheek, but Koji stopped him. He picked up Yugi, hitting him against the wall again with a loud thump. The smell of whiskey escaped his breath as he moved closer to Yugi's ear.

"Now, where were you so late? Huh boy?" He beseeched, ripping at the hair of his defenseless son.

"I-I'm sorry. W-was h-helping a new kid find his way around," Yugi explained.

"Dirty liar, who the hell wants help from you?"

"My new best friend, obviously!"

Koji slapped him once more, leaving a violet bruise on the side of his face. It took all of Yugi's guts to resist screaming, for he knew Koji longed for it. He bit his lip until blood seeped through the skin, leaving a thin trail along his skin.

"Don't even bother trying be someone's friend! You're an annoying creature, just like you're mother!" He barked in Yugi's face.

"Y-yes sir, I'm sorry."

"Quit the apologizing! You don't mean it anymore than she did!"

Having enough, Koji picked up Yugi by the collar and threw him on the ground. Cursing under his breath, he stumbled to the fridge for another beer. Yugi took the opportunity and fled to his room, blocking the door with his desk chair. He checked his alarm clock, disappointed it was barely nine. He needed to leaves as soon as possible. Staying only made him want to go crazy.

Yugi emptied out his schoolbag, replacing the books with enough clothes to last him a week. He went through his room, stuffing anything he might need into the little brown bag. After packing a stick of deodorant and his toothbrush, he took his bag and hid it under his desk. With nothing left to do, he grabbed a shower and decided to enjoy his final shower at home.

When the clock struck one, Yugi checked his bag one last time for anything he may have forgotten. He spent the past few hours looking over his cards, guessing why the man needed them. He smiled, returned them to their box, and clumped them together with the rest of his belongings.

Not wanting to risk stepping on a beer can Koji carelessly left on the floor, Yugi opened the window to his room and slipped out. He had only been to the park six times in his life, all with his mother before turning five. Yugi wondered if, after all these years, going back would feel wrong, as if it violated a law of the divine.

When he reached the park at last, he saw the place completely vacant. Not a soul lingered through the night, alive or dead. Only he walked through the swings and slides, taking the golden box from his bag.

"I'm here!" He called, looking for a sign of somebody else. "Yami?"

He quailed as the bushes behind him rustled. His hands became wind-up toys impossible to stop from shaking. An obscure figure made its way through the trees and into sight, just centimeters away from the nearest streetlamp. What had the man gotten poor Yugi into?

Yugi started to turn around, but found himself frozen in fear. If he ran away, whoever hovered around the bushes might chase him. At the hour it was, finding help seemed nearly impossible.

The figure walked closer to light, illuminating his spiked hair and muscular body. Yugi relaxed as the yellow light bathed over Yami. He wore a black muscle shirt, tight black pants, and a leather belt with silver studs. Yugi's heart melted and dripped to his stomach as he tried to suppress his drool. Fortunately, the darkness concealed his blushing rather well.

"Yugi, is that you?" Yami asked into the night.

"It is! I suppose the man talked to you, too?" Yugi guessed, running up to his crush.

"Man? No, a woman stopped me on the way home. Told me I needed to come to the park with my stuff. I said I had work to do, but she insisted."

"Weird, a man told me the same thing. Apparently my life is about to change." Yugi rested a thumb on his chin.

"She said I needed my cards, which seemed odd," speculated Yami, taking out his deck.

"It's strange this is all happening the day Konami released their new game."

"We're glad you two made it," a female's voice interrupted. She joined the two men, her face hidden by a cream colored hood.

"You're the woman from earlier!" Yami pointed out.

"Yes, my brother had somewhere else to be, but you'll see him soon enough. For now, we must get a move on before they catch us," she said urgently. She held two necklaces with pyramids the color of Yugi's card box. "Take these."

Yugi obediently took one. On the front, he saw the same eye as on his box. Yami had a identical pyramid, only his eye way upside down. The two gave each other a perplexed look. Before they could ask questions, the eyes glowed a blinding white light. They closed their eyes, each feeling an immense heat.

Both gritted their teeth, wishing the discomfort to stop. Just as they thought they couldn't take it anymore, the glowing suddenly shut off. Yugi opened his eyes first to see himself in white armor, holding a staff the color of snow. He looked over, seeing Yami dressed identically only in a plum shade.

"These necklaces give you each a different type of magic. Yugi, you have white magic; Yami, you have black magic," she explained. "You both have the ability to cast spells, but do so wisely. Using the wrong spell at the wrong time can have fatal consequences."

"What's the difference between our magic? How do we know what spells to use?" Yugi asked, fear written all over his face.

"Come on, our plane will take off shortly. My name is Isis, and I will watch over you boys until fate sets us apart," she continued, ignoring Yugi entirely. She walked off without checking to see if they were following.

"Well, lets go I guess," Yami suggested, nudging Yugi to follow as he ran after her.

The two boys almost made it out of the park when a strange creature appeared out of nowhere. A white dragon with sky-blue eyes charged at them head-first. Yami jumped out of the way, but the dragon rammed into Yugi with the force of a bull, sending him off his feet and into a tree.

Yami rushed behind the dragon, using his staff to smack it. Instead of screeching in pain, the beast whipped around began flying. He prepared to dive down on Yami, when Yugi pushed him out of the way.

"Yugi! No!" cried Yami, fearful of the dragon's impact.

Instead of crashing into Yugi, a white sphere appeared over the boy and deflected the attack. The dragon retracted his nose, roaring in agony. Yami took the chance to throw his stuffed bag at their enemy, sending him to the ground.

"Kaiba, what the hell are you doing? Are you trying to kill our new allies?" Isis called, arriving just a little too late.

The dragon reached for his wrist and started to glow. When the light died, a young brunette man stood with a solemn face. His eyes narrowed at the newcomers, grunting at their novel powers and how clueless the two were on using them. He thought the two were from the other side, the evil ones.

"You two might want to watch it! I thought you meant her harm! Keep those necklaces off until we come across real prey, got it?" Kaiba snapped.

"Cut them some slack. They just got their magic, so leave them along. Now, lets go before you make us all miss our plane and have to purchase everyone new tickets!" Isis ordered and took off again, ending any further dispute.

Kaiba turned around to face. "I don't like new magicians who show up thinking they suddenly rule the world, understand? As long as you two fight with me, I'm in charge!"

Yami and Yugi nodded as Kaiba stormed off. Their eyes locked for about a minute before following. Neither knew what to say, afraid to provoke him. Yugi removed his necklace, causing his armor and staff to fade before anyone else tried picked a fight. He used the gold box to store it and offered to hold onto Yami's as well.

He felt uncertain about the man and the future ahead, but decided it was too late to turn back. As long as Yami stayed to fight, so would he. After all, as awful as Kaiba seemed, spending time with his dream partner and having access to magic had to be worth it, right? After all, anything had to beat his life before.


End file.
